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xiii Why do we care about tidal wetlands? What is the future of salt marshes? How many kinds of tidal wetlands are there? Ralph Tiner introduces us to their ecology and leads us through a fascinating history, including a time when most people thought of wetlands as nuisances and wastelands. Salt marshes blocked access to the shore. So what to do? Fill them in, dredge them out, or drain them. Boston’s Back Bay was built on filled salt marshes. There are salt marshes along the Long Island and Jersey shores that have been dredged and filled and covered with houses. Marshes on Cape Cod were dredged to make marinas. At times, our attack on marshes was less direct: they were cut off from full tidal exchange by roads and railroads. Despite society’s willingness to alter salt marshes, some people valued them. Even now a few salt marshes are used to harvest salt hay as the first European colonists on the Atlantic Coast did. And a few people began to recognize that the seaside marshes provided foraging and nesting areas for birds, and nursery grounds and feeding areas for marine fishes. Some marsh mudflats were good clamming areas. Some ­ people living on the landward edges of marshes valued them just for the view. Now salt marshes and tidal wetlands are protected by federal, state, and local laws. Many people recognize the values of marshes and swamps. Children are taught these values both in schools and in community events. Artists draw and paint marshes for others to admire. People visit marshes, walk along their edges, listen to the birds living in them, and hear the rustling of the marsh grasses. What happened to change public attitudes about wetlands? Ralph Tiner provides an excellent review and history of tidal wetlands and people, describing eloquently how, in the past half century, society began to look at salt marshes in a new light based on the research done on their value both to nature and to society. Tiner’s book is a wonderfully complete history and explanation of tidal wetlands, their biology, geology, history, and relationship to people. John M. Teal Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Foreword “This page intentionally left blank” ...

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